Morgan Llwyd facts for kids
Morgan Llwyd (born in 1619, died June 3, 1659) was a special kind of writer and poet from Wales. He was a Puritan, which means he followed a strict form of Protestant Christianity. He also believed in something called Fifth Monarchism, which was a religious idea about how the world would end. Morgan Llwyd wrote many things in the Welsh language.
Morgan Llwyd's Life Story
Morgan Llwyd was born in Maentwrog, Gwynedd, a beautiful part of Wales. His family was well-known and important. His grandfather, Huw Llwyd, was a soldier and a famous Welsh poet. People also thought his grandfather knew about stars and magic.
Morgan Llwyd went to school in Wrexham. There, he became very religious after listening to a Puritan preacher named Walter Cradock. He followed Cradock to Llanfaches to join a Puritan church.
During the English Civil War, Morgan Llwyd worked as a chaplain. A chaplain is like a minister or priest who serves in the army. He was part of Oliver Cromwell's New Model Army. In 1644, he came back to Wales to preach. By 1650, he became an Approver. This meant he helped to spread the Christian message in Wales.
In 1656, he settled down as a minister in Wrexham. He died there in 1659. Morgan Llwyd is buried in the Dissenters' Burial Ground in Rhosddu.
He was famous for his religious and philosophical writings. Many of his works used complex symbols. Morgan Llwyd is known as the first Nonconformist minister in Wrexham. A high school in Wrexham, Ysgol Morgan Llwyd, is named after him. This school teaches in the Welsh language.
What Did Morgan Llwyd Write?
Morgan Llwyd wrote seven prose works. Prose means regular writing, not poetry. He wrote in both Welsh and English. He also wrote many poems. He even translated parts of the work of Jakob Bóhme. He used English translations by John Sparrow for this.
His most important prose work is called Llyfr y Tri Aderyn. This means The Book of the Three Birds. It's a religious and political discussion. Three birds talk about important ideas:
- A Raven: This bird stands for the High Church Anglicans. These were people who supported the King during Cromwell's rule.
- An Eagle: This bird stands for the government of the time. This was Cromwell's Commonwealth.
- A Dove: This bird stands for the Puritan group. The Dove convinces the Eagle that Puritan ideas are true. It also convinces the Eagle that a government based on religious laws (a theocracy) is right.
In this book, the Raven and the Dove are also compared to the birds Noah sent out from Noah's Ark. Morgan Llwyd believed history was a time between two big judgments from God. The first was the great flood in the Genesis flood narrative. The second was the Last Judgement, which he thought would happen very soon.
Morgan Llwyd wrote three shorter Welsh prose works:
- Llythyr i'r Cymry Cariadus (A Letter to the Beloved Welsh People)
- Gwaedd yng Nghymru yn Wyneb pob Cynwybod (A Cry in Wales in the Face of Every Conscience)
- Cyfarwydd i'r Cymru (A Guide for the Welsh People)
In these books, he stressed how important it was for people to make peace with God.
He also wrote three works in English:
- Lazarus and His Sisters Discoursing of Paradise
- Where Is Christ?
These two books talked about religious ideas.
- An Honest Discourse Between Three Neighbours
This book explored different opinions about Oliver Cromwell's rule.
